May 6, 2013

In fact, today's project is all about celebrating the special pie maker in your life. With the help of Martha Stewart Crafts, I designed this quick and easy gift that is all at once meaningful and deliciously useful. This is a great project for beginners. For the person who puts love into everything they bake, a personalized etched pie plate is the perfect gift and is, well...sweet as pie!

The idea for this project came about when I was looking for a meaningful gift for my step-mom's birthday back in March (She happens to make the best apple pie I've ever eaten). I decided that a pie plate etched with "Nana Makes the Best Apple Pie" would be the perfect gift. I didn't think I had the time or the skills to make one myself, so I jumped on Etsy and found a wonderful gal who was able to bring my vision to life and ship it just in the nick of time.

Enter Martha Stewart Crafts -- the swell folks at Plaid sent me a box brimming with goodies from their Martha Stewart Crafts line at Michael's. Amongst the glorious glass paints,brushes and stencils, was a Martha Stewart Crafts Glass Etching Cream and brush kit.

Every year for Mother's Day, we go berry picking with my mom (who just so happens to make the best berry pie I've ever eaten). So, I knew right away that I simply had to try my hand at making a "Mom Makes the Best Berry Pie" etched pie plate to present to my mom after our berrypicking tradition this Mother's Day.

It was so easy! The Martha Stewart Crafts adhesive stencils are easy to use. They peel right on and off and can be used again and again. The etching cream is easy to apply and doesn't run, so professional results can be achieved by beginners like me. Now that I know how easy it is to etch, look out! I have a feeling this is the start of a new craft addiction.

Step 1: Clean the pie plate with soap and water. Dry, then clean with rubbing alcohol to remove any remaining residue. Peel and stick the adhesive stencils in the desired pattern or wording.

Step 2: Use the brush included with the etching cream to dab a heavy layer of etching cream on each stencil. Let sit for 15 minutes. Then, rinse under running water to remove all cream. Remove stencils. Your glass has been etched. If you were able to etch your entire design in a single round of stenciling (meaning that you didn't have any repeating letters), your plate is finished. Rinse with soap and water, then dry. Pie plate is top-rack dishwasher safe.

*The only thing that could make the 93-piece stencil kit better is if it contained multiples of commonly used letters. Because the kit contains only one stencil for each letter, you may have to etch in rounds.If doing a simple monogram and flourishes, this project can take less than 30 minutes. If a letter is needed multiple times, it can take longer. Here are my tips for how to make the process of etching in rounds go smoothly:

Tip #1: Lay out the entire design on the pie plate, using as many of the correct stencils as possible. When you come to a repeat letter, insert a number or a letter upside-down. This way, you'll maintain correct spacing. When applying the etching cream, apply only to the letters that you need. Just be careful not to etch any of the place holders.

Tip #2: After first 15-minute etching period, rinse and dry the plate according to instructions. Swap out the place-holder stencils with the correct letters. Repeat if necessary. My second plate required 5 'E's and therefore took 5 etching periods.

One final tip for managing your budget:

This project requires an initial purchase of the Etching Cream
Kit and Adhesive Stencil kit, plus the cost of the pie plate. So, the
first plate could cost around $30. Be sure to check out michaels.com for a printable coupon before you shop, or download the free Michaels app on your smartphone to help lower the cost of your supplies.

You'll be able to make dozens
of pie plates with the cream and stencils, making any subsequent plates cost only the amount of the pie plate (I picked up mine at Target for $8).

This project is part of a campaign with Blueprint Social, and was sponsored by Plaid. I've been a longtime fan of Plaid, Martha Stewart, and Michael's stores, so this campaign was a natural fit. I was genuinely delighted with the adhesive stencils and etching cream. Not only were they easy to use, but there was hardly any clean-up involved.

Other Blueprint Social creatives have been cooking up projects with their Martha Stewart Crafts supplies from Plaid.

For more inspiration, check out their projects by clicking on the links below.

9 comments:

This is one of my favorites in this "Crafting with Martha" etched glass series that I have seen this month! LOVE it and Pinning!xoxo, Claire{PS: You should come link up ay my place - just {re} launched "Best Of The Weekend" - yay!!}

You always do such a flawless job with your projects Jenn. Seriously. I would love to receive this pie plate. And I appreciate the tips you included like the upside down letters or numbers-- smart idea. Sharing on FB. xo